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Can Harrison twins lift Kentucky to national championship?

Because the ending has now been written differently, the journey will not be remembered the same way. But until the NCAA Tournament, the marriage between Kentucky basketball and twin guards Aaron and Andrew

Because the ending has now been written differently, the journey will not be remembered the same way. But until the NCAA Tournament, the marriage between Kentucky basketball and twin guards Aaron and Andrew Harrison had often been awkward to the point of being uncomfortable.

As the Wildcats' season first failed to meet expectations, then spiraled into potential disaster, the 19-year old twins made for easy scapegoats and learned early on that the fishbowl of Kentucky basketball is as unrelenting as it can be rewarding.

"People don't understand, unless you're in the locker room, how much stuff we hear about us; how we don't love each other and we're not that good individually," Andrew Harrison said. "But now we're just happy to be here."

As much as their play was scrutinized and criticized during Kentucky's first 31 games, there is no bigger reason for the Wildcats' surge into the Final Four than the emergence of the Harrison Twins as elite playmakers and clutch shooters.

Just three weeks ago, as they struggled to mesh with the rest of Kentucky's roster and make winning plays late in games, the pair from just outside Houston had come symbolize the pitfalls of building a program around freshmen. Since then, they have fueled one fist-pumping, celebratory moment after another and salvaged their reputations as top-10 recruits.

And even if Kentucky falls short of a national title, Aaron's contested 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds left last Sunday to beat Michigan, 75-72, will be remembered forever as one of the great shots in the history of its program.

"They're great players," senior Jon Hood said. "They come up big at big times and they're so zoned in right now and honed in on what we need them to do, it's nuts. It's crazy."

Though both Harrison twins posted solid numbers during the regular season, their ups and downs were magnified because they accounted for 34 percent of Kentucky's field goal attempts and they came to college with a reputation – fair or not – of being difficult to play with.

That criticism wasn't aimed at their character because, by all accounts, they were well-liked as teammates on the AAU circuit and at Kentucky. But they were far more used to being on the court with each other than a team full of talented players, and that was a chemistry challenge it took coach John Calipari all season to solve.

"The biggest thing we had to help them with was body language," Calipari said. "As that changed, they became different players. The second thing was, we had to define the roles better, and I did a poor job of that until late in the year, by the end of the year. I can't believe it. I was angry when I realized what I had done."

The turning point came when Calipari urged Andrew Harrison, the more natural point guard, to take a greater leadership role in the offense heading into the SEC Tournament and not worry as much about scoring.

Though they can both handle the ball, having Andrew initiate the offense more often allowed the rest of the team – including Aaron – to play to their strengths.

In addition to 12.3 points, Andrew is averaging 5.3 assists four tournament games, up from 3.9 in the regular season. And Aaron, a 32.6% shooter from 3-point range entering the NCAA Tournament, has made 13 of 24.

"It just shows how blessed we are," Andrew said. "All the stuff we went through and all the stuff I went through individually was just preparing us for right now."

They've also factored into pretty much every important basket Kentucky has made in this stretch. In both the Elite Eight victory against Michigan and the Sweet 16 win against Louisville, one of the Harrisons either made or assisted on seven of the Wildcats' last 10 field goals.

"Especially when you've got a lot of new guys, you have to figure out how to use them, how to play with each other and everybody's starting to peak at the right time," sophomore forward Alex Poythress said. "They're just focusing on their roles, attacking the rim when the defensive gives it to you, and when they don't, pull it out and run our offense."

Connecticut Huskies guard Shabazz Napier (13) looses control of the ball while defended by Michigan State Spartans forward Adreian Payne (5) during the first half. (Photo: Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports)

Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bo Ryan celebrates by cutting the net after overtime in the finals of the west regional of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship tournament against the Arizona Wildcats at Honda Center. (Photo: Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports)

Wisconsin Badgers players celebrate after overtime in the finals of the west regional of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship tournament against the Arizona Wildcats at Honda Center. (Photo: Richard Mackson, USA TODAY Sports)

Arizona Wildcats guard T.J. McConnell (4) celebrates in front of guard Gabe York (1) and forward Aaron Gordon (11) against the Wisconsin Badgers during the second half in the finals of the west regional of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship tournament at Honda Center. (Photo: Richard Mackson, USA TODAY Sports)

Wisconsin Badgers guard Bronson Koenig (24) celebrates after making a basket against the Arizona Wildcats during the second half in the finals of the west regional of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship tournament at Honda Center. (Photo: Richard Mackson, USA TODAY Sports)